HFCC Mission Statement.
As caregiving touches everyone, the mission of the Hawai‘i Family Caregiver Coalition is to improve the quality-of-life of those who give and receive care by increasing community awareness of caregiver issues through continuing advocacy, education, and training.
What is the Hawai‘i Family Caregiver Coalition? How did we get started?
The Hawai‘i Family Caregiver Coalition, or HFCC, is a group of organizations, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private businesses concerned with the needs of unpaid family caregivers. Friends and neighbors are often caregivers, in addition to family members. Most people don’t realize that on any given day in Hawai‘i, about 169,000 adults are caring for frail or impaired adults, and about 247,000 are caregivers at some time during the year. These caregivers provide an astounding 162 million hours of unpaid service during the year! The estimated dollar value of this service is $1.990 Billion per year.1 This potentially saves a tremendous amount of money for insurance companies, family members, and the state, which might otherwise have to pay for care through the Medicaid program or other sources.
HFCC started when Hawai‘i was selected in 2004 to participate in a project designed to create coalitions such as theirs at the state and local levels. This project was funded by the US Administration on Aging and conducted by the AARP Foundation. The Coalition emerged following a two-day training period, in which 27 organizations participated.
Why are we here?
HFCC exists because family caregivers often face great challenges, yet they are not represented by supporting organizations; and their needs are not known to most policymakers or by the community. HFCC’s member organizations support caregivers and their families either through providing direct services or by other means. They have joined together in order to achieve two goals: first, to identify gaps in service and advocate for service expansion which will need caregiver needs; and, second, to promote education to caregivers, professionals in the field of aging, policymakers, and the public regarding caregiver needs.
What does HFCC do?
Over the years, the Hawai‘i Family Caregiver Coalition has supported our community by sponsoring the following projects:
• Holo Imua Kakou Legislative Reception
• Family Caregiver Awards Program – a
joint venture with KHON2’s Elderhood
Project
• Aging & Disability Issues report
• Family Caregiver Awareness Day
• Education/Resource Fairs
• Family Caregiver Speakers’ Bureau
• Family Caregiver’s Kit for Businesses
Have you heard of our annual report of Aging and Disability Issues? It provides an overview of legislative issues that deal with aging, caregiving, and long-term care,…as well as provides brief summaries of relevant bills and resolutions alive at mid-session. Please click here to view the 2023 report.